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Key Legislation

This section provides resources on key legislation, policy, and funding relevant to child welfare and substance use disorder (SUD) treatment systems.

Highlighted Resource

Laws and Policies

Children’s Bureau, 2024

This webpage provides guidance to states, tribes, child welfare agencies, and more on the complex and varied federal laws as they relate

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Policy and Practice Resources

Family First State Plans and Enacted Legislation

National Conference of State Legislatures, 2025

Summarizes states that have enacted legislation to align their child welfare laws with FFPSA. Includes an interactive map that offers

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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Guidance on Adhering to Early and Periodic Screening, Diagno...

Administration for Children and Families, 2025

Designed to help States comply with coverage requirements for eligible children and youth under the age of 21 who are enrolled in

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Laws and Policies

Children’s Bureau, 2024

This webpage provides guidance to states, tribes, child welfare agencies, and more on the complex and varied federal laws as they relate

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A History of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)

U.S. Department of Education, 2024

Congress enacted the Education for All Handicapped Children Act, also known as the EHA, in 1975 to support states and localities in

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Designing Evaluations to Meet Title IV-E Prevention Services Clearinghouse Requirements

National Quality Improvement Center on Famil..., 2024

Summarizes design elements for evaluation teams to consider when designing an evaluation to meet Title IV-E Prevention Services

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Fact Sheet 42 CFR Part 2 Final Rule

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2024

42 CFR Part 2 (“Part 2”) is a federal regulation that protects the confidentiality of substance use disorder (SUD) treatment records. On

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Substance Use Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery Services Block Grant

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services A..., 2023

This program provides funds to all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Northern Mariana

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How Federal Legislation Impacts Child Welfare Service Delivery

Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2022

Provides an overview of the process by which legislative actions and policy changes at the Federal level impact State and Tribal child

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How some states use title IV-E foster care funding for family-based facilities that treat substance use dis...

Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planni..., 2021

The Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA) permits states to use title IV-E foster care funding for children placed in out-of-home

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Planning Title IV-E Prevention Services: A Toolkit for States

Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planni..., 2020

Helps states develop a plan for title IV-E prevention services and implement a comprehensive array of services to prevent foster care

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Major Federal Legislation Concerned with Child Protection, Child Welfare, and Adoption

Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2019

Provides a summary of federal legislation enacted since 1974 that has shaped the delivery of child welfare services. Includes an

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About CAPTA: A Legislative History

Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2019

This factsheet summarizes the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) which is key Federal legislation addressing child abuse

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Medicaid Substance Use Disorders Benefits Package

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, n.d.

Offers resources to states seeking to develop and enhance their SUD Medicaid benefits package. Resources include State Health Official

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State Statutes Search

Child Welfare Information Gateway, n.d.

Use this search to access the Information Gateway State Statutes Series and statutes from individual States and Territories on issues

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Title IV-E Prevention Program

Children’s Bureau, n.d.

FFPSA authorized new optional title IV-E funds covering time-limited prevention services for mental health, substance abuse, in-home

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Title IV-E Prevention Services Clearinghouse

Administration for Children and Families, n.d.

Conducts an objective and transparent review of research on programs and services intended to provide enhanced support to children and

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Additional Resources

Child Abuse and Prevention Treatment Act (CAPTA), Prenatal Substance Exposure Statutory Station Summary

National Center on Substance Abuse and Child..., 2017

Covers the history of the CAPTA prenatal exposure provisions, including the July 2016 Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act changes.

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Find Help with a Personal Situation

Substance Use and Mental Health Treatment Locator

To find treatment facilities confidentially, 24/7, please call 1-800-662-4357 (HELP).

To locate general treatment services, visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA’s) Treatment Locator online or call 1-800-662-4357 (HELP). This service provides referrals to local treatment facilities, support groups, and community-based organizations. It is a free, confidential, 24-hour-a-day, 365-day-a year information service, in English and Spanish, for individuals and family members needing treatment for a mental and/or substance use disorder.

National Child Abuse Hotline

If you suspect a child has been harmed by abuse or neglect, please call 1-800-422-4453.

If you suspect that a child has been harmed or is at risk of being harmed by abuse or neglect, call the National Child Abuse Hotline at Call the National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-422-4453. Serving the United States and Canada, the hotline is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with professional crisis counselors who—through interpreters—provide assistance in over 170 languages. All calls, texts, and chats are confidential. If you believe a child is in immediate danger of harm, call 911 first.

National Suicide Prevention Line

For free and confidential support for people in distress, 24/7, please call or text 988, chat 988Lifeline.org, or call 1-800-273-8255.

If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide or experiencing a mental health or substance use crisis, help is available and there are options to receive compassionate care. You can call or text 988 or chat 988Lifeline.org. You can also call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255). Both are confidential and available 24/7 to everyone in the United States and will connect you to a trained counselor at a suicide crisis center nearest you.

Contact Us

The National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare offers free technical assistance to a variety of systems on making policy and practice changes to improve outcomes for families affected by substance use disorders and involvement with child welfare services. To learn more about technical assistance services or if you have a question please email NCSACW at ncsacw@cffutures.org or call toll-free at 1–866–493–2758.

National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare